Performance sandal shoe and method of manufacture

ABSTRACT

An athletic performance shoe with an open toe and an open heal for improved ventilation and comfort. The body of the shoe should be of suitable flexible material, such as the “Flyknit” fabric used by Nike, Inc. The shoe should include standard laces for enclosing the user&#39;s foot in the shoe as the laces suitably secure the shoe about the foot. The interior of the shoe should include soft, malleable padding which forms to the user&#39;s foot such that users with wide feet, narrow feet, or other factors will be comfortable in the shoe and the shoe will form around their foot without slipping or uncomfortably compressing the foot. A preferred embodiment would have a thin, highly-flexible sole. The open toe and heel being the primary features of the shoe.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/312,530, filed Mar. 24, 2016, which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a performance sandal shoe and method of manufacture thereof, and more specifically to an athletic shoe modified or manufactured to include an open toe and heel for improved ventilation and comfort.

2. Description of the Related Art

Athletic shoes designed for running, jogging, and other sports have been designed to accommodate feet of all shapes and sizes; however, those who have narrow or wide feet, arthritis, high arches, and other uncommon features can find standard footwear uncomfortable. Shoe companies have designed shoes with stretchable fabrics and soft, flexible soles which help to form to such feet. However, existing shoes still lack adequate venting and comfort which could further increase the user's experience.

While some athletic shoes and sandals have been designed and are currently sold, they rely on straps, buckles, and hook-and-loop fasteners (e.g. Velcro®) which features do not lend themselves to comfort and do not adequately form themselves to the feet of users. What is needed is a shoe with the comfort features of athletic shoes such as the Barefoot Ride 4.0 “Nike Free” shoes produced by Nike, Inc. of Beaverton, Oreg. which have open toes and open heels for added comfort and functionality.

Heretofore there has not been available a system or method for a performance sandal shoe with the advantages and features of the present invention.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally provides an athletic performance shoe with an open toe and an open heal for improved ventilation and comfort. The body of the shoe should be of suitable flexible material, such as the “Flyknit” fabric used by Nike, Inc. The shoe should include standard laces for enclosing the user's foot in the shoe as the laces suitably secure the shoe about the foot. The interior of the shoe should include soft, malleable padding which forms to the user's foot such that users with wide feet, narrow feet, or other factors will be comfortable in the shoe and the shoe will form around their foot without slipping or uncomfortably compressing the foot. A preferred embodiment would have a thin, highly-flexible sole. The open toe and heel being the primary features of the shoe.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments of the present invention illustrating various objects and features thereof.

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a prior art embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention as it would be manufactured from the prior art embodiment of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view thereof.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view thereof, including lace elements.

FIG. 7 is a three-dimensional isometric view of the embodiment of FIGS. 4 and 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS I. Introduction and Environment

As required, detailed aspects of the present invention are disclosed herein, however, it is to be understood that the disclosed aspects are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art how to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure.

Certain terminology will be used in the following description for convenience in reference only and will not be limiting. For example, up, down, front, back, right and left refer to the invention as orientated in the view being referred to. The words, “inwardly” and “outwardly” refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center of the aspect being described and designated parts thereof. Forwardly and rearwardly are generally in reference to the direction of travel, if appropriate. Said terminology will include the words specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof and words of similar meaning.

II. Preferred Embodiment Performance Sandal Shoe 2

As shown in the figures, the preferred embodiment of the present invention is an athletic shoe which is manufactured or modified from an existing shoe to include a cut-out area around the toes and the heel. This provides a shoe which includes comfort elements of sandals while retaining the performance elements of an athletic shoe.

FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of the present invention as manufactured from a prior art embodiment, such as shown in FIG. 2, by removing the portions indicated by the cut lines 40 of FIG. 3. Here, a top opening 12, which is a traditional opening for receiving a foot, is kept from the prior art embodiment 4. A toe portion 6 and heel portion 8 of the prior art embodiment 4 are removed, as shown in FIG. 3, to result in an open toe space 14 and open heel space 16. A back strap 10 is left to support the shoe about the foot and ankle. The sole 18 is exposed. The shoe may include lace holes 20, and a tongue 22 as provided in the prior art embodiment 4.

A preferred prior art embodiment 4 would include the Flyknit fabric of the Barefoot Ride “Nike Free” shoes produced by Nike, Inc. of Beaverton, Oreg., or a similarly stretchable and breathable fabric. This fabric provides a flexible body of the shoe which comfortably surrounds the user's foot no matter if the user has narrow feet, wide feet, or some other uncommon feature. The shoe should employ laces rather than straps, snaps, or hook-and-loop fasteners. The laces secure the body of the shoe in a comfortable manner around the foot of the user in a way that straps do not.

The sole 18 of the shoe should be flexible and as thin as necessary to protect the foot. This allows additional comfort when using the shoes. The interior of the shoe should include padding which conforms to the shape of the user's foot, such as the padding of the Barefoot Ride shoe indicated above.

The toe area 6 of the shoe should be cut out, providing superior air flow to the foot that simple venting does not provide. Venting could be included in other areas of the shoe body not cut out. The heel area 8 is also cut out, leaving a band 10 that wraps around a portion of the ankle above the heel. In this way, the shoe resembles a sandal, but retains the structural elements of an athletic shoe that makes the present invention perfect for comfortable athletic performance.

III. Alternative Embodiment Performance Sandal Shoe 52

A version of the athletic sandal shoes embodied in FIGS. 1 and 3 above could also be manufactured out of a monotone color (e.g. black) which would transform these shoes into a more casual dress shoe which retains the athletic performance and comfort of the preferred embodiment disclosed above. This would be ideal for casual day-to-day wear. As shown in FIGS. 4-7, a manufactured performance sandal shoe 52 includes all of the same elements.

As above, the manufactured performance sandal shoe 52 includes a top opening 62, an open toe 64, and an open heel space 66. A back strap 60 supports the shoe about the foot and ankle. The sole 68 is exposed. The shoe may include lace holes 70, and a tongue 72. A shoe lace 74 would be threaded through the lace holes 70 to secure the shoe about the foot.

It is to be understood that while certain embodiments and/or aspects of the invention have been shown and described, the invention is not limited thereto and encompasses various other embodiments and aspects. 

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:
 1. A footwear device comprising: a main body having a top opening, closed sides and top, an open toe portion, and an open heel portion; said open heal portion and said top opening separated by a strap configured to secure the footwear device in place; a flexible sole exposed at said open toe portion and at said open heel portion; and said main body comprising a stretchable, breathable fabric.
 2. The footwear device of claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of shoe lace holes; and a tongue located between two side portions of said main body, said tongue protruding into and forming a portion of said top opening.
 3. The footwear device of claim 2, further comprising a shoe lace configured to be threaded through said plurality of shoe lace holes thereby securing said side portions of said main body about said tongue.
 4. A method of manufacturing a footwear device, the method comprising the steps: providing a footwear device having a top opening, a toe portion, a heel portion, and two side portions; removing said toe portion, thereby forming a toe opening and exposing a sole of said footwear device; and removing said heel portion, thereby forming a heel opening and exposing said sole of said footwear device and creating a strap portion between said top opening and said heel opening.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein said footwear device includes a plurality of shoe lace holes located along said side portions.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein said footwear device includes a tongue located between two side portions of said main body, said tongue protruding into and forming a portion of said top opening.
 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the steps: threading a shoelace through said plurality of shoe lace holes; and securing said side portions above and about said tongue.
 8. A method of manufacturing a footwear device, the method comprising the steps: forming a footwear body from a piece of material, said footwear body including a top opening, a toe opening, a heel opening, and side portions, said heel opening and toe opening forming a back strap between them; placing said footwear body onto a sole, whereby said sole is exposed at said toe portion and at said heel portion; and providing a base beneath said sole, said base providing traction.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein said footwear body includes a plurality of shoe lace holes located along said side portions.
 10. The method of claim 9, including a tongue located between two side portions of said main body, said tongue protruding into and forming a portion of said top opening and said tongue formed from said piece of material.
 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps: threading a shoelace through said plurality of shoe lace holes; and securing said side portions above and about said tongue. 